Living with Christ Morning Prayer

Living with Christ Morning Prayer
Thursday, January 16, 2014

See that you tell no one.

Jesus, like everyone else, I can only guess
why you often warned so many people
not to tell anyone what you had done for them.
Why? Aren’t these miracles good news?
Aren’t they a sign of God’s power and love?

Perhaps one day you will explain.
But right now, I’m struck by the contrast
between your will and my will.

If I am honest, Lord, deep in my heart,
when I do something good, I want credit for it—
even when I say I don’t.
I thrive on affirmation and praise.
Hearing someone say I’ve helped them
gives me the energy to keep going
and help someone else.

But in all this, I run the risk of making the good I do
about me, and not so much about you.

I remember hearing an ancient folk tale
about a woman to whom the angels
offered miraculous gifts of healing,
converting hearts, and living in virtue.
The woman turned all the gifts down,
and asked instead for the gift
of doing good, but never knowing it.

I don’t know if I could handle that, Lord,
but, please, gently guide me to try,
and to make the good I do
always about you.
Amen.

For a prayer for today from St. Nicholas of Flüe, see page 192 in the January issue of Living with Christ.